3D bioprinted hydrogel models for the study and treatment of human liver disease

全额资助的博士研究生项目，研究用纳米纤维网加固的3D生物打印血管分支。这是一个标准的3.5年制英国博士学位。缺乏血管化是生物打印功能器官的主要瓶颈。本计画旨在发展一种由动脉、静脉及输尿管所组成的血管树，以供人工肾脏之发展。学生将学习如何操作我们新型的自制混合3D生物打印机，该打印机将水凝胶打印与静电纺丝相结合。学生将为静电纺丝和生物打印水凝胶制造聚合物溶液，并与细胞培养物一起工作。将通过显微镜技术（SEM、共聚焦激光扫描显微镜、荧光显微镜等）表征所产生的杂化结构。并通过评估机械性能。在项目中，学生将使用最先进的表征技术。一半的工作将在位于瑞士圣加仑的瑞士联邦材料科学与技术实验室（Empa）进行，这是一家属于ETH领域（瑞士联邦理工学院）的材料研究机构。

Fully-funded PhD studentship on 3D bioprinted vascular branches reinforced with nanofibre mesh. This is a standard 3.5-year UK PhD. The lack of vascularization is the main bottleneck of bioprinting functional organs. This project aims at developing a vascular tree consisting of arteries, veins, and ureter, for artificial kidney development. The student will learn how to operate our novel home-built hybrid 3D bioprinter, which combines hydrogel printing with electrospinning. The student will make polymeric solutions for electrospinning and for bioprinting hydrogels, and work with cell cultures. The generated hybrid structures will be characterized by microscopy techniques (SEM, confocal laser scanning microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, etc.) and by assessing the mechanical performance. Within the project the student will use state-of-the-art characterization techniques. Half of the work will be carried out at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) in St. Gallen, Switzerland, a material research institute belonging to the ETH domain (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology).